Shake up a salty-sweet Kokum Margarita

This recipe was created by Sai Pawan, head of bar at Indian restaurant Farzi London in Leicester Square.

Pawan grew up in coastal Karnataka, south India. The Kokum Margarita pays homage to his childhood memories of kokum, a tangy tropical fruit widely used in traditional Indian cooking and drinks. From kokum-laced fish curries to cooling summer sherbets, the fruit was a staple in his mother’s kitchen, and Pawan has brought that tradition to Farzi with a contemporary spin.

This bold twist on the classic Margarita is dubbed the ‘sundowner drink’ by Farzi’s bar team. It is a vibrant marriage of tequila, mangosteen, kokum, lime and spice – sweet and savoury in one complex, chilled glass.

Ingredients

• 10ml kokum syrup (available in Asian grocery stores)
• 10ml agave syrup (Farzi makes its own version using mangosteen for a deeper base)
• 50ml Tequila Blanco (the Farzi bar team uses Cazcabel Blanco for its earthy agave notes)
• 20ml fresh lime juice
• 5 dashes saline water
• Pinch of coriander leaves

Garnish

• 1 lime wedge
• Pink pepper and Himalayan salt
• Fresh coriander leaf

Method

Create a kokum cordial by whisking equal parts of kokum and agave syrup.

Rub the rim of a rocks glass with lime and dip into the mixture of pink pepper and Himalayan salt.

Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake for five seconds and then strain into a chilled rocks glass.

Garnish with coriander and serve.